Elevator-guard



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BLEVATOR GUARD.

No. 355,191. Patented Dec. za, 1886. 2574i I/ V.Attorney INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATRIcK HENRY McwILLIAMs, on DErEoIT', MICHIGAN.

ELEvAToR-GUA Ro.

SPECIFICATION orrnmg part of Letters Patent No. 355,191, dated December v28, 1886.

Application filed February 13, 1886. Serial No. 191,907. (No model.)

.enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it,.referenee being .is a front elevation of the same.

had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in elevators.' and is designed more especially to provide elevatorshafts with doors arranged to be opened and closed automatically by the ascent and descent of the elevator, said doors to be either horizontal or vertical, as may be preferred.

It is found very desirable that elevatorshafts should be well protected by closed doors located at the different floors of the building to prevent drafts, as a safeguard against fire, and also to prevent accidents, the closing of the doors being insured immediately upon the passage of the elevator, and not being dependent upon the possible carelessness of the attendant.

It is therefore the object of my invention to an elevator and elevator-shaft,illustratingfeatures of my invention, showing parts in seetion. Fig. 2 is a side elevation at right angles to Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a separate view illustrating a modification. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a horizontal door. Figs. 5 and 6 are separate views illustrating featifres of my invention. Fig. 7 illustrates in side elevation guide mechanism forming part of my invention. Fig. 8

Fig. 9 illustrates a modification. I carry out my invention as follows:

A representsanelevator-shaft constructed with one or more covered ways, A', to receive counterbalance-weights B.

C represents an elevator, C its supportingcables'. l

D, Fig. 2 represents a vertically-moving door, such as would be preferable at the lower door; D', a horizontal door arranged to close the shaft at the various upper iloors.l

Illy invention contemplates .the employment of either the vertical or horizontal doors, as may be desired, in any given-locality, or both varieties in the same shaft, one variety of door being used at one or more floors, and the other variety at the remaining floors.

- E represents cables connecting the doors D D'with the connterbalance-weight B, and e pulleys over which the said cables E are passed. These weights may be arranged in covered ways in any desired position upon the walls of the shaft, either upon the sides or upon the back, as may be preferred, and the pulleys e may also have any desired location upon the walls of the shaft or covered counterbalance-ways. Any number of pulleys may also be used to direct the cables E in any desired connection with the weights and doors. Thus when a vertical door is used it will be convenient to locate the waysAf at the sides of the shaft and adjacent to the door, as shown in Figs. l and 2.

By a suitable arrangement of pulleys the ways may have the same location also when horizontal doors are used, in which case the cable E is attached, preferably, to the forward part of the door, as shown at d, Fig. 2, andthe cable be carried-back to a pulley upon the back of the shaft, as at e', thence along the sides of the shaft and over a pulley located at the front corner of the shaft and connected with the connterbalance-weight. W'here horizontal doors are employed alone it might be preferable to run the weight at the back of the shaft. Ofttimes the limits of space for the shaft will practically determine the location of the weights.

The weights /B are constructed with an an- Y adapted to engage upon the shoulder b of the weights, and thereby force downward the weights with the descent of the elevator, and thereby operate the doors to which they are attached. F is a guard arm or shield extending from the elevator-platform c to the top of the elevator-frame c2. As the elevator ascends this guard strikes against the under side of the horizontal doors and lifts them one after another, the weights attached to the said doors assisting the operation. The elevator is thus permitted to pass. rlhe horizontal doors are closed by their own gravity, they being made heavier than the counterbalanee-weight. To assist in starting the door to close, I prefer to provide a spring, G, which serves simply to prevent any liability of the door standing on a dead-point when lifted.

Upon the descent of the elevator the doors are opened in the following manner: It is evident that when the doors are closed the connterbalance-weights'are lifted. Upon the descent of the elevator th'e spring c upon its platform successively engages the shoulder b of the weight and forces the weight downward with the descending elevator, thereby, of course, opening the doors. The cables which engage t-he weights with the doors are so regulated in length as to secure the opening of the l doors sufficiently for the passage of the elevator. The wall of the shaft is provided at proper points with tripping-cams H, the construction and arrangement being such that when the elevator has reached the desired point the spring will be depressed by riding over one of said cams, and so liberate it from the weight, permitting the door to close.

'Io prevent the door from closing too forcibly, and to prevent noise by its concussion, various expedients may be provided-as, for instance, as shown in Fig. 3, one or both of the counterbalance-shafts may be provided with one ermore loose weights, I l I2, &c., the said shafts being provided with seats for said weights, as shown at a a' ez. As the door closes and the weight B ascends it will pick up these weights one after another and thereby ease the descent of the door. As the door reaches the point 'where its velocity would otherwise become greatest, the loose weights picked up in this manner will overcome said velocity and cause the door to seat easily.

I do not conne myself to this method alone of easing thedescent of the doors, as various other expedients may be employed insteadas, for instance, as shown in Fig. 9, the horizontal door may be provided with an auxiliary weight, J, connected therewith by a cable, J', over a pulley, j, located upon the wall of the elevator-shaft, adapted to check the velocity of the door.

The horizontal doors must of necessity be constructed with an elongated recess, d, to permit the passage of the cable which supports the elevator; so, also, at the forward edges of the door there must be elongated recesses d2 d3 to permit the door to fold back over the governor-posts A A3, Fig; 4. It is desirable to provide these recesses with some device which shall be self-opening when the door is lifted and which shall automatically close when the door' is shut, Fig. 4.

K K K2 represent metallic plates hinged to the door at one or more points, as shown at k k' k2, said plates uptu rned or curved upon their edges, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, at k, and provided yvith an arm, 7g4, similarly curved at its end, and, as shown at h5, when the door is raised the plates will open by gravity and assume the position shown in Fig. 6, leaving the recesses of the door free. Vhen the door is lifted sufficiently tobc ont of the way of the elevator, the arm c will strike against the wall of the elevator-shaft, the curved shape of its extremity where it strikes the wall serving to close thc plate, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the plate shall not stand out in the way of the elevator. When the door is nearly closed,the curved edge of the plate will strike the seat of thc door,and so close the plates and said recesses.

To prevent any liability ofthe elevator-platform striking the edge ofthe uplifted door upon its descent through any possible stretching of the elevator-cable, I have shown in Figs. 7 and 8 a simple compensating device consisting of a reciprocatory bar, L, preferably constructed with a guide, l, at its upper end to engage the bar F, and with a shoulder, Z', at its opposite extremity. This recip rocatory bar is engaged upon the top ofthe door by any suitable guideways, Z2 l".

Mis a lcver,p'ivoted upon the wall of the shaft in such a manner that one extremity may engage'the bar L, as shown in Fig. 8. The opposite end of the lever is extended to force a contact with the descending weight. To facilitate this,the weight may be constructed with an arm, b2, to engage the said lever. It will be seen that when the weight engages the Iever it is thereby tilted and the compensatingbar L lifted, causing it to crowd against the bar F and press the elevator forward,and obviate any possibility of its coming in contact with the door.

Instead of using a separate spring, G, springhinges may be employed to engage the door to the walls of the elevator-shaft and throw the door olf the dead-point.

1. The combination, with an elevator and its shaft, of a gravity-door, a weight having a.

shoulder, b, and engaged by a cable with said door, said elevator provided with a spring, c, to engage said weight directly and to be disengaged therefrem, substantially as described. 4 l

2. The combination, with an elevator and its shaft, of a gravity-door, a weight engaged by a cable with said door, said elevator provided with a spring, c, to engage said Weight IIO directly, and said shaft provided Witha cam to disengage said spring from said Weigh t, substantially'as' described.

3. The combination, with an elevator and its shaft, of a gravity-door, a weight engaged With said door, means for engaging and disengaging said elevator with said Weight, and in connection therewith auxiliary Weightsfsubstantially as set forth, to ease the descent of said door7 substantially as described.

4:. The combination, with an elevator and its shaft-,of a door, a Weight engaged with said door by an intervening cable, said elevator being provided with a spring, c, to engage said weight directly upon its descent and thereby open the door, and to be disengaged therefrom at a desired point, the construction being such that when the elevator is disengaged from the weight the door Will close by its own gravity, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a door, of one or more gravity-plates pivotally connected therewith, said plates constructed with rounded edges upon their opposite sides, substantially d as and for the purposes described.

6. The combination, with a door, of a reciprocatory guide-bar, L, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with adoorhinged upon an elevator-shaft, of a reciprocatory bar engaged with said door, a tilting lever engaged upon the wall of the shaft and arranged to lift said reciprocatory bar, said levery extended to form contact With an adjacent Weight in the shaft ofthe elevator, substantially as described.

8. The combination of an elevator-shaft, a series of doors, Weights connected with said doors by an intervening cable, said Weights being provided With shoulders b', an elevator having a springa, adapted to engage said Weights directly, and so open the doors in its descent, and cams H, to disengage the spring and Weights, substantially as described.

9. 'Ihe combination, With an elevator and its shaft, of a guard-arm connected with said elevater, one or more doors hinged to said shaft, said doors provided withreciprocatory guidebars arranged to engage said guard, a tilting lever to lift said bar, and Weights connected with said door and constructed to operate said levers, substantially as and in the manner described.

l0. In an elevator, a door constructed with one or more elongated recesses having in combination therewith a gravitygguard formed With rounded edges upon its opposite sides, to open and close said recesses, substantially as and in the manner described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two Witnesses.

f y PATRICK HENRY. MCWILLIAMS. Witnesses:

N. S. WRIGHT,

M. B. ODOGHERTY. 

